St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-21
PALL-BEARERS.
A LugubriOus But Respectable
Way of Making a Living.

Philadelphia News.
He was gloomy looking sort of a
person and his face wore an expression
of woe that made one think he had it
stamped there as sort of trade mark.
He was clad in garments of SOmbereSt
hue, and from the wide weed on his
high hat to the dead polish on his
brOad-SOled shoes, he looked for all the
world like a man in whose family there
was death least once year. When
he came into street car sort of hush
fell upon the passengers out of respect
for his placarded sorrow, and even the
little girl i'm the corner, who had been
wailing for the last ten minutes, sub
sided and gaZed at the newcomer with
Open-eyed wonder. He sank into a
seat next to that of newspaper man,
and took from his pocket copy of the
Ledger, opened so as to bring the death
notices before him. These he carefully
scan ned, pausing every once in while
to mark one of them with a lead pencil.
When he had finished the list he turned
to the newspaper neighbor and asked in
sepulchral tone where certain street
was located. He was told, and the two
drifted into conversation. By and by
the gloomy man was asked if he had
met with a bereavement lately.
mo, indeed" he replied; ''there has
not been a death in my family for
years."
"Why, them" asked his neighbor, with
more curiosity than pOliteneSS, do you
dress in such deep mOurningw
''Oh, that's on account of my bust
ness"
''YOu are an undertaken, then?''
mo, am .pall-bearer,"' and
noting the look of surprise in his
interlOcutOr'S face, he went on:
''Some years ago there was a strike
in my trade-l am carpenter-and
during one of my idle days l passed a
house where there was funeral. Stop
ping to watch il, | was approached by
the undertaken, who asked me if was
going to the funeral. l said no, that
knew no one there. He then asked me
if had any objections to being pail
bearer. l said | had none, provided |
was paid for it, and we finally struck
bargain. l made as much that afternoon
as l would had l worked all day at my
trade, and since then [ have adopted
pall-bearing as means of livelihood. L
dress IN black, as you see, and each
have found that my services are very
seldom required where the funeral is
that of young man OF woman, or where
the deceased has belonged to any
secret societies, and that my
most profitable customers are those
who have Outlived most of their
companions. If the dead person hap
pens to be an unmarried lady past the
meridian of life l am nearly always
certain of job. / find that at funerals
the female attendants Outnumber the
male about four to one, and that most
of the latter are close relatives. AS it is
generally the rule to select the pall-bear-
ers from among those not connected
with the family, you can see that
my services are very frequently in de-
mand. 1 generally seek out the under
taker and make my bargain with him,
and average about two funerals day.
1t is nice, easy sort of life and emf
nently respectable. You will have to ex-
cuse me now, as / have funeral in this
street and must get off here" So say
ing the pall-bearer by trade unloaded
the car of his cargo of professional woe
and the faces of the other passengers
assumed a more joyful expression.